This invention relates to orienting injectors and more specifically to orienting injectors that are capable of orienting fasteners having a length that is greater than, equal to, or less than the diameter of their head.
Current fastener ejectors are used to eject fasteners at a work site so that the fasteners can be installed onto a structure with an automated process. The problem with current ejectors is that they cannot orient all fasteners and especially fasteners whose length is equal to their head diameter. This is because, these ejectors cannot ascertain the orientation of the fasteners prior to ejecting them. As such, an orienting ejector is desired that is capable of properly orienting and ejecting fasteners of any size whether their length is greater than, equal to, or less than their head diameter.
An orienting ejector is provided that is capable of orienting fasteners such as rivets, screws, bolts, etc. of any size, as for example, rivets having a shaft and a head whose overall length is greater than, equal to, or less than their head diameter. The orienting ejector comprises a body defining a gap. The gap has a width that is greater than the diameter of the fastener""s shaft but smaller than the diameter of the fastener head. The fastener is fed through the gap. A blade slidable along the gap is used to move the fastener such that the fastener shaft penetrates the gap. The blade may jab at the fastener in order to orient it. Air is also ejected at the fastener to help properly orient the fastener. A sensor senses whether the fastener has been oriented properly prior to ejection. If it has, the sensor sends a signal to a controller, which in turn sends a signal to the ejector to eject the fastener in the proper oriented position. If the fastener cannot be oriented properly within a predetermined time, the gap is widened allowing the fastener to drop out of the body and into a pan. Vacuum may be applied to the pan for removing the discarded fastener.